Showing Up
by poeticgrace
Summary: Six times one friend is in need, six times one friend shows up for another.
1. No Replacing You: Joey & Monica

**No Replacing You: Joey & Monica**

It starts a few days before the wedding, these long looks that she knows means something but she can't quite figure out. He used to look at her like this awhile back, when he was having those dreams and wishing for a long-term relationship. Monica eventually helped Joey figure out what those sleepless nights meant, but she hasn't found that same sense of logic in their predicament now. It's only after he walks out on a full plate of fully cooked lasagna that she takes action.

"Joseph Tribianni, you look at me right now!" she insists as she bursts into his apartment, sending the door slamming behind her with a hollow thud. The Italian's dark eyes are wide but steady as he looks in his fridge for something. "I mean it, Joey, look at me."

He pulls out a half-eaten sandwich and sits down at the bar before looking up at her. "Oh, hi, Monica," he says nonchalantly, as if just noticing her for the first time. "Did you need something?"

The cold and disconnected tone is completely new for Joey, and that shakes Monica to her very core. Tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear, she sits down on the green velvet stool next to him. Joey stares blankly ahead at a picture of a rocket ship hastily drawn on the Magna Doodle. "Joe, did I do something?" she asks him carefully. He is still quiet but shakes his head to answer her question. "Then what is going on? This isn't like you."

Joey finally sets down his sandwich and turns to her. He studies her face for a moment before reaching for her hand. His fingers brush over her engagement ring, sending a small chill up Monica's spine. It isn't from attraction but fear because she knows whatever is coming is big. "Just tell me, Joey," she implores him softly. "Is something going on with Chandler? Whatever it is, I just need to know. Please, Joey."

"I've been thinking a lot about the wedding, Mon," he tells her seriously, a small wrinkle forming in the middle of his forehead. It's all that Monica can focus on as she peers up at him. "Chandler means a lot to me. I've got seven sisters, but he's the only brother I'm ever going to have. I need you to promise me that you're not going to break his heart. Let's face it, we both know you're way out of his league, and he got pretty lucky landing you. I need you to promise me that you're going to leave him when you realize that maybe you could do better…because let me tell you, you'll never do better than Chandler Bing."

She knows that she could take it as an insult, but Joey's small speech comes from a place of goodness. "You're right, Joey, there is no one better for me in this world than Chandler," she told him. "And I appreciate you sharing your best friend with me. I know it's not always easy not being first, but I think that we do a pretty good job sharing that place. I'm going to do my best not to hurt Chandler, but I feel better knowing that if something happens, you'll always be there to help him through it."

Joey grinned at her in that way that is so uniquely him, proud at himself for being a good friend. "And I guess I feel the same way, you know, glad that you're around to help him out if something happens with me," he offers up before squeezing her hand. "You've been really good for him, Mon. You make him happier than either of us could have ever imagined. I know it's going to be a little difference once you're married and stuff, so I promise not to get in the way."

"You get in the way all you want, Joseph Tribianni," she says before hugging him tightly. "Chandler isn't the only one who is lucky to have you in their life. You've been a good friend to me. There is no replacing that."


	2. Burgers & Blue Skies: Phoebe & Chandler

**Burgers & Blue Skies: Phoebe & Chandler**

It's been three days since Kathy broke his heart, and Chandler hasn't seen the sunshine in as long. He gets a phone call from Phoebe, asking him to meet her at the park, but he just lets it go to answering machine. When she calls back for the fourth time with no answer, she shows up at his door with a picnic lunch in hand. "C'mon, you're going outside," she tells him before throwing a pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt in his direction while perching on the end of his bed. "It's a gorgeous day, nothing but blue skies out there."

"Um, Pheebs, wanna give me a minute to change?" he asks her but she shakes her head. Phoebe tells him that he can't be trusted and reminds him that it isn't anything that she hasn't seen before. Five minutes later, Chandler is begrudgingly dressed and headed toward the elevator with Phoebe in tow. She makes him walk in front of her so that he doesn't duck out and head back toward the apartment. He complains about the sunshine and the unseasonably warm early spring day, but Phoebe doesn't let his pessimism get her down as she presses on toward Central Park.

"Alright, Chandler, we let you wallow for your allotted three days," she announces as she spreads out a blanket near the reflecting pond. Chandler grimaces at her but bends down to smooth out the corners of their makeshift table cloth. "I've been appointed by the group to cheer you up. I know it's not going to be easy, but I thought I'd do my best. Can you do me a favor and just try? I know you want to be sad right now, but you might actually have fun if you open yourself up to it."

Chandler starts to protest when she hands him a beer. He watches her methodically unpack the picnic basket to see all of his favorites – burgers from that dive café near Lincoln Center (a generous compromise of her vegetarian ways on his behalf), Funyuns, apple pie from a little French patisserie in the Village, cookies from a bakery down the street, even a thermos of coffee from Central Perk. "Wow, Pheebs, you really went all out."

"And that's not all," she grins before opening her knapsack to reveal a kite, Frisbee, football and other assorted outdoor toys. "I know it's not much, Chandler, but it's a start. Kind of like this afternoon isn't going to make you just get over it, but it's a beginning. Sometimes that's all we can do, start small and work our way out of it."

Chandler wonders sometimes how his blonde friend can be so endlessly optimistic when she has been through so much in her life. She's lost her mother and her grandmother, never knew her father and has a train wreck for a sister. She grew up on the streets surrounded by some pretty sketchy characters under harsh conditions. Yet, he never heard her complain about it. Instead, she always found a way to pull herself up by her boot straps and forge ahead with life. If she could get over all that and still be happy, maybe there was still some hope for him after this breakup.

Reaching over, he squeezes her hand and smiles at her affectionately. "Thanks for this, Pheebs," he tells her before leaning across the blanket and kissing her cheek. "You're kind of amazing. Sorry that we don't tell you that more."

She nods as she takes a bite out of her veggie sandwich. "Obviously, Chandler," she acknowledges. "I don't really need you guys to tell me things I already now." They exchange a knowing smile before she pops open a beer of her own. "Now hurry up and eat, your burger is getting cold."


	3. Mommy Dearest: Chandler & Rachel

**Mommy Dearest: Chandler & Rachel**

"Chandler, can I tell you a secret?"

Rachel is nine months pregnant, pouring over a worn copy of _Parents _magazine while she elevates her impossibly swollen feet, when she asks him this question. He is scared to answer because he's never really been good at keeping secrets, and he knows that it has to be something big if she is coming to him. She has her roommate, her best friend, her other best friend, even her baby's daddy – a whole gaggle of friends that would be better secret keepers than him. And yet, there they were, sitting on the couches at Central Perk, with her asking him to keep something from Joey, Monica and Ross.

"I'd really rather you didn't, Rach," he answers honestly. "I'm not sure that I'm the right person for you to be telling secrets right now. There has to be a better confidant than me."

She glares at him over an article on baby proofing before rolling her eyes. "Joey and Ross are at a Rangers game, Monica is at work and Phoebe is visiting her friend, Hobo Pete, at the park. You're kind of the only one around," she points out. "Who else am I supposed to talk to? Gunther?"

The barista perks up at her rhetorical question but Chandler quickly gives in. "Alright, alright, you can tell me, but I'm warning you now. There is a distinct possibility that I won't be able to keep this under my hat," he warns her before taking a long sip of his cappuccino. Rachel has that mischevious twinkle in her eye, the one that he now knows all too well. Spill it, Rach."

Combing her fingers through her hair casually, she tries to act as if she doesn't care before she breaks down into tears. Her hormones are uncontrollable at this point, and Chandler does little to sooth her as he pats her should awkwardly. He's never been too good with a crying female. "I'm going to be a horrible mom," she wails, tears running down her usually beautiful face. Chandler wipes away the trail of mascara absently with his thumb and looks toward the door longingly in search of his friends. "My baby is going to hate me."

"No one could ever hate Rachel Greene," he tells her honestly, pulling her into a hug as he rests his head on top of hers. Tears quickly soak his collar, but Chandler doesn't let go. He just strokes her back until the sobs subside into tiny sniffles and eventually disappear altogether. "I know you're scared, Rach, but I know that you can do this. Look at everything you've already done – broke away from your family, found the job of your dreams, built a life all of your own. You will succeed at this just like you have everyone else, and you're going to be a great mom. This baby is going to be lucky to have you and Ross as parents."

"You really think?" she sniffles, looking up at him with hooded eyes.

Chandler nods as he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and kisses her forehead. "I really think," he confirms. "I know you will, Rach."

She is about to thank him when Ross comes in with an arm full of shopping bags. Within minutes, the two of them are tucked into the sofa, cooing over the sleeper sets and booties that their little girl will soon wear home from the hospital. Chandler leans back into his armchair and watches the parents bonding. He can't wait until it is him and Monica in that position. He just hopes Rachel will be there to calm him down when he freaks out over being a good father.


	4. Five Easy Rules: Ross & Joey

**Five Easy Rules: Ross & Joey**

Chandler is out on a date when Ross stops by one evening after dinner. He's surprised to find that it is Joey who is home all alone on a Friday night. "Hey, buddy," he greets his actor friend as he flops into the recliner usually occupied by Chandler, popping open a bottle of beer from the cooler that Joey has position between the two leather chairs. Pretty girls in red swimsuits are running on a beach on the TV. The two of them are silent for a full half hour before Ross speaks to his friend again. "Joe, I need a favor. I need you to teach me how to talk to a girl."

It wasn't all that long ago that Joey had made some horrible ice cream analogy and convinced his friend to "grab a spoon." However, they both knew then and could acknowledge now that was never going to be Ross' style. He had been a nerd in high school, never getting the girl he wanted who happened to live just across the hall now with his baby sister. He'd spent college trying to get Carol to marry him and then most of the next five years actually married to her. It'd been awhile since he had a first date and even back then, there hadn't been many. It was still all new to him, which only made the situation that much sadder at the age of twenty-seven.

Joey was clearly the smoothest of his friends, which wasn't really saying much when the rest of the guys were either scientists or, well, Chandler. Considering his best friend from college was now dating the thing that is Janice, he isn't really sure he wants his help picking up a girl. That's why it makes perfect sense for him to turn to Joey in his hour of need.

"Sure, man," Joey says excitedly, reaching down to flip off the television. The lack of _Baywatch_ makes the apartment eerily quiet and somehow punctuates how serious Joey is taking this. He digs around in the stack of magazines and newspapers beside his chair in search of a notebook. Handing it over, he also manages to come up with a pen under an empty pizza box. "You're going to want to take notes."

Ross uncaps his pen as Joey starts to outline his rules for dating in New York. They are simple and to the point, and Ross finds himself wondering if he can pull off his friend's effortless approach to getting women. However, as Joey delves deeper into scenarios and even suggest some harmless role playing, he starts to feel like maybe he can do this.

"To review," Joey reiterates, "there are five easy rules for dating in New York. The first rule is that you always approach a girl first so that you can set the tone on your own terms. Next, always look her straight in the eye. If she is going to reject you, it's going to be a lot harder looking right at you. Thirdly, find a little way to touch her early in the conversation. Attraction utilizes all five of the senses, and it's a big mistake to overlook that sense of touch."

"Touch, got it," Ross repeats as he jots down notes.

"Right, so then there's rule number four. It's an important one, so remember it. Always find something to compliment about her. Girls love to be praised. It sounds simple, but it's the one that will take you the farthest. If you can't find a compliment, make sure to ask her follow-up questions. I don't like this method because it makes the process longer, but I've found a ratio of two questions to one compliment can work in a pinch."

"Finally, the biggest rule is pretty easy – just believe in yourself," Joey reminds him. "If you don't, she won't either."

"And it's really that easy?"

"Of course it is, Ross," Joey scoffs. "C'mon, look who you're talking to."


	5. Fall Apart Today: Rachel & Phoebe

**Fall Apart Today: Rachel & Phoebe**

It's been exactly one year since the day that her grandmother died, and Phoebe doesn't think that anyone is going to remember. It's only when she gets a bouquet of white lilies and tea roses that she realizes that Rachel of all people has acknowledged an anniversary she wishes she didn't have to celebrate. She tries to keep the tears at bay as she dials Rachel's number at work. Her friend's bubbly voice soon fills her ear, but Phoebe is unsuccessful at not breaking down.

"Th-th-thank you for the f-fl-flowers, R-Rachel," she manages over the line before falling apart completely. Rachel is nearly terrified when the line goes dead. She tries dialing Phoebe back but never gets an answer. Scribbling a note to her boss, she is out the door within minutes and in a cab on her way downtown. She keeps trying to call the massage parlor over and over from her cell phone, but Phoebe doesn't pick up.

"Phoebe!" she screams when she comes running into the little row of offices where Phoebe works with her clients. "Pheebs, where are you? Are you here?

A man pokes his head out into the hallway and motions her toward him. "She's back here!" he calls as she sprints down the hallway. Rachel is glad for all those hours of jogging in Central Park because she is light on her feet in her five-inch stilettos. "I don't know what happened. She was okay one minute and then she just sort of fell apart."

Rachel finds her huddled over in the corner, holding one of the lilies in her hand and Dusty Springfield playing faintly in the background. She recognizes the album as the one that Phoebe played a lot after her grandmother died. Monica told her once that Phoebe had listened to it a lot every year around the anniversary of her mother's death as well. Apparently, it was one of the few happy memories from her childhood. Kneeling down beside her friend carefully, Rachel manages to gently cradle Phoebe to her chest to soothingly rock her.

"I know, Pheebs, I know," she repeats over and over, even though she doesn't. Rachel hasn't lost anyone close to her, which seems unfair considering how many people Phoebe has already lost. This thought only saddens her more and makes her hold onto Phoebe that much tighter. It's hard to see someone usually so full of life and happiness be so sad, if only for a moment.

Phoebe never feels sorry for herself, and Rachel knows that she's not feeling it now. Lonely, maybe, and definitely sad – but never sorry for herself. She's too strong, too hopeful, for that. "Okay, enough of this," she says resolutely, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. Phoebe pastes on a brave smile and apologizes to her client before returning to her massage table. Rachel prepares herself to leave when she looks back her friend for one last look. Phoebe mouths a silent, "Thank you," and the two never speak of the incident again. Rachel goes back to work and calls her mother, vowing to do her best to never take her parents for granted again.


	6. The Long Goodbye: Monica & Ross

**The Long Goodbye: Ross & Monica**

There are moments in your life that change everything and there are moments that you don't really remember. That Tuesday afternoon should have been the latter, a mundane day in his office at NYU grading papers and waiting for Emma to get done in her ballet class. He had plans to pick up his daughter with Rachel before meeting Ben for a quick bite to eat across town. Everything seemed completely normal until his sister made the long trek in from the suburbs to visit him at school.

"Hey, Mon," he said when she called his name, not bothering to look up from a student's excessively long term paper on the Jurassic age. It was only when she didn't respond that he glanced up, shocked to see how terrible she looked. He dropped his red pen with a hollow thud. It was bad, it just had to be bad. "What's wrong? Is Chandler okay? What about the twins?"

"They're all fine," she said softly before coming around to sit on the edge of his desk. "And before you ask, Rachel and your kids are fine, too. It's not them, Ross."

"You're scaring the hell out of me," he replied softly, reaching up to grab his sister's wrist. "What is it?"

"It's Dad, Ross," she answered finally. "Mom tried calling your cell phone and then I tried. I finally got ahold of Rach, and she said you left it at home today. We tried your office, too."

"I had the ringer off," he explained, pointing to the flashing light on his phone. He had wanted to finish grading the papers so that he could enjoy the long weekend. "What's wrong with Dad? Is he at the hospital? Is Mom okay? What happened?"

He kept asking and yet, she never had an answer for him. Tears welled in her eyes, ones that he knew as well as his own. "Dad's dead," she said emptily. "He had a heart attack on the seventh hole when he was playing upstate with Richard. He said it was pretty instant. He met Mom at the hospital. Chandler and Rachel are with them. Rach was going to come here to get you, but I wanted to be the one to tell you. I needed to be the one to tell you."

Ross looked up at his baby sister and covered his mouth. "Dad's dead?" he repeated. It didn't make sense in his head. Even as he watched Monica falling apart in front of him, he couldn't find it in his heart to put her back together. He was usually the one who was strong for his family, but there was no strength now. There was only sadness. "Dad's dead." It wasn't a question this time but a statement, one of disbelief and horror. Monica nodded as she reached out for her brother. "Huh. Dad's dead."

"Mom needs us, Ross," she told him, crossing her arms over her chest protectively. "We have to be strong for her. She's a mess. She just kept asking for you. I need to get back."

"Yeah, sure," he said emptily as he went about shutting up his office. Monica watched him flick off his computer and gather up the papers spread over his desk. "Do you have a car or...?"

"Ross, hey," she interrupted him, grabbing his wrist to stop him. She could see that he was in shock.

"No, Monica, I just need to get through this."

"Not with me, you don't," she countered. "If you're gonna fall apart – if _we_ are gonna fall apart..." She looked up at her brother and shook her head. Ross reached for her and wrapped her up in a hug, kissing the top of her head. There family had been a strong unit of four for years and now they were left with three. Yes, they had added Chandler and Rachel, Ben and Emma, even the twins; however, it wasn't quite the same as the nucelar family they'd grown up with. It was a sad day and they needed to be able to grieve. No one was going to understand this moment like Monica and that's why Ross knew he would always be glad to have a sister.

"I love you, Mon," he whispered, peering down at her before kissing her forehead again.

"I know, I love you, too," she whispered back. "Now let's go make sure Mom knows we love her."

_**FIN.**_


End file.
